MovieTickets.com shreds stub of relationship with AMC

Apparently MovieTickets.com isn’t as enamored with rival Fandango’s talking paper bag puppets as the rest of the movie-going public.

The online ticketing service joined a lawsuit against AMC Entertainment Inc., the nation’s second-largest theater chain and MovieTickets.com founding shareholder, alleging AMC has been trying to push the company around in a power play. National Amusements and Hollywood Media Corp. originally filed the suit against AMC in Florida, claiming the exhibitor breached its contractual and common law duties of good faith, fair dealing and loyalty by not selling tickets exclusively through MovieTickets.com, and violated Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.

MovieTickets.com began 12 years ago as a partnership between Hollywood Media, AMC and National Amusements.

MovieTickets.com issued a release stating that AMC cut its ticket inventory from its website after AMC was denied an attempt to gain greater control and a larger share of the ticketing service.

"Despite exhaustive efforts by MovieTickets.com to resolve the dispute among the founding shareholders, AMC disabled its ticketing inventory from MovieTickets.com,'' MovieTickets.com said in a statement, according to the LA Times. "This is the first time MovieTickets has ever sued anyone. The company is fully prepared to take all necessary action to protect its rights, the value and integrity of the MovieTickets.com service."

Adding heavily salted popcorn to the wound, on the same day that MovieTickets.com announced joining the suit, AMC trumpeted an expansion of its pact with Fandango to add 3,000 screens.